Users of mobile telephones or other wireless communication devices including, by way of example and not by way of limitation, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices, “Smart” phones, automatic crash notification (ACN) units, mobile radio devices and similar communication devices may employ “incognito mobile stations” in carrying out their calling activities. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “incognito mobile station” is intended to include any mobile station, mobile telephone or other wireless communication device that is not registered for service with any Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) carrier. Incognito mobile stations may also include, by way of example and not by way of limitation, Non-Service-Initiated (NSI; sometimes referred to as Non-Service-Initialized) phones.
Examples of special number calls are 9-1-1 calls for seeking emergency services (sometimes referred to as emergency service calls) and other abbreviated number calls for non-emergency special services, such as “N-1-1” systems. Examples of such N-1-1 systems include “3-1-1” (urgent but not emergency calls) and “5-1-1” (traffic inquiry calls). Special number calls may also include, by way of further example and not by way of limitation, abbreviated numbers for calling commercial services, such as “*820” (calling a radio station) or “GOTIX” (calling for tickets).
For purposes of illustration, by way of example and not by way of limitation, the present invention will be described in the context of an emergency service network in the United States, commonly referred to as a 9-1-1 network. The teachings of the present invention are equally applicable, useful and novel in other special number calling systems, such as maintenance service networks, college campus security networks, abbreviated number networks for calling commercial services and other networks.
CMRS carriers generally assign a dial-able number to a mobile station when a customer enters into a service contract. Because no such dial-able number is assigned to an incognito mobile station, a problem may arise when using an incognito mobile station for placing an emergency service call. Having no assigned dial-able number means that an emergency service call handling center will be unable to call back an emergency service caller who is disconnected when that caller is using an incognito mobile station. By way of example and not by way of limitation an emergency service call handling center may be embodied in a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP; sometimes referred to as a Public Safety Answering Position). Examples of incognito phones include, by way of example and not by way of limitation, “9-1-1 Only” phones as well as unsubscribed cellular phones distributed by donation programs to at-need individuals such as victims of domestic violence.
Prior solutions effectively amounted to alerting parties involved in an emergency service call placed using an incognito mobile station that no call back number is available. Essentially, earlier solutions provided for “living with it” and not affording any system or method for providing a call back number for an emergency service call handling center. This “live with it” approach was essentially set forth in a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) News Release of Apr. 29, 2002. The alerting was to be effected by programming incognito phones with a code 123-456-7890 as a “telephone number” to alert an emergency service call handling center such as a PSAP that the 9-1-1 call is being made from a wireless phone that lacks a call-back capability. The FCC also required that incognito phones be labeled to alert a user to the lack of call-back capability.
Such an “all or nothing” approach to call handling for incognito phones may unnecessarily obviate providing a call-back capability for some incognito phones by pre-identifying incognito phones and providing routing instructions for the registered incognito phones. At least incognito phones that are registered and provide routing information including a contact number for call-back, such as a land line number of a relative or friend, could be provided a pseudo call-back capability that may prove to be better than no call-back capability at all.
There is a need for a system and method for handling mobile emergency service calls from incognito mobile stations that can route at least some such calls to an emergency service call handling center accompanied by routing information relating to handling emergency service calls received from the calling incognito mobile station.
There is a need for a system and method for handling mobile emergency service calls from incognito mobile stations that can route at least some such calls to an emergency service call handling center accompanied by information providing at least a pseudo call-back capability for a calling incognito mobile station.